


Not Bad at All

by Wr1t3myWr0ngs



Series: The Tano Collection [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Bugs & Insects, Fluff, Gen, Snacks & Snack Food, insect mention, space crickets, the things we do for friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26128717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wr1t3myWr0ngs/pseuds/Wr1t3myWr0ngs
Summary: Now, Hardcase isn’t the kind of man that thinks of himself as a picky eater. He’s willing to try anything once, and almost anything has to be better then the flavorless and somewhat gritty ration bars the GAR supplies for refueling on the go.But this might be pushing it.
Relationships: Hardcase & Ahsoka Tano
Series: The Tano Collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897273
Comments: 14
Kudos: 48





	Not Bad at All

Now, Hardcase isn’t the kind of man that thinks of himself as a picky eater. He’s willing to try anything once, and almost anything has to be better then the flavorless and somewhat gritty ration bars the GAR supplies for refueling on the go.

But this might be pushing it.

“Want some?”

Ahsoka looks up at him, smiling good-naturedly, one hand extended offering up a small pile of her snack.

He weighs his options.

He _is_ hungry. The morning meal was a long time ago, and the march through this planet's terrain is taking longer than expected— the rolling grasslands proving to be more hazardous on the feet than the soft waves of grass lead them to believe. They have barely had time to stop for water, let alone a food break since they want to reach their target destination before night falls. The last thing any of them want is to become targets for the nocturnal predators, which are, unfortunately, large.

But are bugs really a better option than quickly unwrapping one of his ration bars? He looks again at the offered snack, sees how the light shines off the cricket-like insects, and knows deep in his heart that they can’t possibly be worse than the vaguely salty cubes the military insists are suitable for human and non-human consumption.

“Sure, why not.”

Ahsoka beams at him, and Hardcase realizes that he might be the only Vode that has ever taken her up on the offer. That knowledge alone, and the joy that it seems to have brought her, makes whatever the outcome of this entirely worth it.

He takes a bug and ignores the voice in the back of his head that wonders if they dropped him during decanting to consider doing this (it sound suspiciously like Dogma which is, in his opinion, a good enough reason to ignore it all on its own) and pops the creature into his mouth before he can talk himself out of it.

He hesitates for a second before biting down, and it’s…not bad.

The crunch is disconcerting, but it’s not nearly as awful as he was expecting. Its actually quite nice once he gets past the juicy squish that accompanies the shell breaking— slightly nutty, with something else that reminds him vaguely of the smoke from a fire, with a hint of sourness that sneaks up on him at the very end.

Ahsoka is watching him with poorly disguised anticipation and nervousness, clearly waiting to hear what he thinks.

Hardcase finishes eating and then smiles at the young Togruta.

“I see why you like them.”

If he thought her smile was bright before, it’s positively glowing now, a joy that seems to radiate out of her at being able to share something she likes with him. He snags a few more before they have to start their trek again.

By the time they reach the rendezvous point, everyone is exhausted and just wants some food. Hardcase has just sat down with some of the others, ready to dig into an instant meal that experience has taught him will only be slightly better than the ration bars, when Ahsoka joins them and sits herself down beside the tattooed clone. He raises an inquisitive eyebrow at the Jedi, who smiles mischievously before pulling out a small bag and distributing its contents into two equal piles on their plates.

The chorus of exclamations that goes up when the other clones realize precisely what the bag contained is priceless. The way they change into sounds of disgust when both Hardcase and Ahsoka pop a few of the insects into their mouths is even more so.

He winks conspiratorially at the Jedi, and the two dissolve into a fit of giggles.

 _Bugs_ , Hardcase thinks, _not bad at all_.

**Author's Note:**

> This is entirely based on the conversation thread between myself and @misfitz-7 over on Tumblr, the idea was just too good to resist.  
> If you have never had crickets, let me assure you they are actually quite lovely roasted. I believe their flavor profile is described as being umami. It’s hard to describe, but nutty and kinda sour is about the best description I can think of. I personally don’t like them fresh, but I know some people enjoy them.


End file.
